Motion-transmitting device



1968 A. FISCHER 3,396,596

MOTION-TRANSMITTING DEVICE Filed Jan. 30, 1967 IN V EN TOR.

ARTUR FISCHER United States Patent 3,396,596 MOTION-TRANSMITTING DEVICE Artur Fischer, 133 Grunmettstetterstrasse, 7241 Tumlingen, Kreis Freudenstadt, Germany Filed Jan. 30, 1967, Ser. No. 612,544 Claims priority, application Germany, Feb. 2, 1966,

13 Claims. (a. 74-432 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rotary motion-transmitting device in form of a rotary member of circular outline having an axis of rotation and further having a peripheral face and an axial end face extending transversely of the peripheral face. The axial end face is provided with an annulus of gear teeth which surrounds the axis of rotation inwardly of the peripheral face.

Background of the invention The present invention relates to a motion-transmitting device. More particularly, the invention relates to a rotary motion-transmitting device. Still more specifically, the present invention relates to a rotary motion-transmitting device which has particular utility in conjunction with toy assembly kits.

Rotary motion-transmitting devices, for general use and particularly for use in toy assembly kits, are well known. Generally, however, they suffer from a certain lack of versatility which in turn adversely affects the overall versatility of the entire assembly kit. In other words, the kit cannot be used for constructing as great a variety of machines, devices, vehicles and the like as might be desirable, and as would otherwise be possible, and therefore the kit presents less of a challenge to the mind of the child using it than would be the case if the versatility were increased by reason of increased versatility of the motiontransmitting device applied with the kit.

In particular, such rotary motion-transmitting devices have always presented certain obstacles in the transmission of motion to another rotary element which rotates about an axes of rotation extending at an angle, and particularly at a right angle, to the axis of rotation of the respective rotary motion-transmitting device which transmits the motion. This is also true, of course, if one device is to receive motion from another, that is the reverse of the situation discussed above.

While the desirability of improvements thus is clear, no improved rotary-transmitting device is known to me to be on the market.

Summary of the invention The present invention overcomes the disadvantages outlined above with respect to conventional rotary motiontransmitting devices and provides the improvements which have been outlined as desirable.

More particularly, the present invention provides a rotary motion-transmitting device which is highly versatile in its construction of motion-transmitting arrangements.

The present invention further provides such a rotary motion-transmitting device which is simple and which is inexpensive in the extreme to manufacture, thus making possible its sale at low cost which is of importance in the manufacture and sale of toys, and furthermore which requires relatively little manipulative skill of the child using it in a toy kit.

In accordance with one feature of my invention I provide a rotary motion-transmitting device which comprises a rotary element having an axis of rotation and being provided with a periphal face and with an axial end face. The

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latter extends transversely of the peripheral face and is provided with an annulus of gear teeth which surround the axis of rotation. In accordance with my invention the annulus of gear teeth is located inwardly of the peripheral face of the rotary element.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Brie) description 0] the drawing FIG. 1 is a partly sectioned side-elevational view of rotary motion-transmitting device in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a top-plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

Description of the preferred embodiment Discussing now the drawing in detail, and firstly FIG. 1 thereof, it will be seen that the rotary motion-transmitting device shown there is generally indicated with reference numeral 1 and has a peripheral face which carries a radial extending flange 10. The device 1 is provided with an axially extending through-going opening through which a shaft 2 may be placed and it comprises on an axial end face 3, which extends transversely of the peripheral face on which the flange 10 is provided, a tubular axial projection 11 which surrounds the axial opening through which the shaft 2 passes. In other words, the shaft 2 passes, as is clearly evident in FIG. 1, not only through the axial opening of the device 1, but also through the axial projection 11 thereof. FIG. 2 shows that this axial projection 11 is provided with a plurality of axially extending slots, which are not numbered but clearly evident in FIG. 2. The reason for this is to make the projection 11 be more readily compressible in radial direction.

The projection 11 is externally screw-threaded, as indicated with reference numeral 12, and it is evident from FIG. 1 that it tapers conically in the direction away from the axial end face 3. Nut 6, whose inner bore has a complementary taper and complementary screw threads which can mesh with the screw threads 12 on the projection 11, is threaded onto the latter and, as it is rotated in the direction tending to thread it further onto the projection 11, it compresses the same by virtue of the fact that the slots are provided in the projection 11. Thus, the sections of the projection 11 which are created by the provision of the slots, namely in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 for such sections, are compressed radially into firm engagement with the shaft 2, thus in effect locking the device 1 to the shaft 2 for rotation therewith, but non-rotatable relative thereto. Thus, the device 1 can now transmit power to or receive power from the shaft 2, the word power here being used in the sense of rotary motion.

FIG. 1 shows particularly clearly that the axial end face 3 is provided inwardly of the peripheral surface and, furthermore, inwardly of the radial extending flange 10 thereon, with an axially extending annular recess 4 from Whose bottom wall portion a plurality of gear teeth 8 extend upwardly in the direction toward the general plane of the axial end face 3. These gear teeth 8, which together define an annulus 5 of gear teeth located in and concentric with the annular recess 4 as Well as with the axis of rotation AA shown in FIG. 1, extend radially of the axis of rotation and are angularly spaced as is evident from FIG. 2. As has already been indicated, and

is clearly evident from FIGS. 1 and 2, that this annulus is located inwardly of the peripheral face of the device 1.

In accordance with the invention it is preferred to have the tips of the teeth 8 extend flush with the surface of the axial end face 3, that is not to have them project therebeyond an axial direction, although this is not to be entirely precluded as a possibility.

It will be obvious that with this arrangement a gear wheel having an axis of rotation extending normal to the axis of rotation A--A of the device 1 can be brought into mesh with the teeth 8 of the annulus 5 of such teeth. Thus, power can be transmitted to such a gear wheel, or the gear wheel can transmit power to the device 1, the Word power again indicating rotary motion. In accordance With the invention the engagement between the teeth 8 of the annulus 5 and the teeth of such auxiliary gear wheel is facilitated by having the width of the teeth 8 taper in the direction towards the axis of rotation of the device 1, as is clearly shown in FIG. 2. In other words, the lateral faces of each tooth 8 converge in the direction toward the axis of rotation so that the spaces 9 intermediate any tWo adjacent teeth 8 are of identical width as seen in circumferential direction, such width being furthermore constant for the entire length of the teeth 8 as seen in radial direction.

It should still be pointed out that the outer peripheral surface of the nut 6 is provided with axially extending gear teeth 7 which are angularly spaced thereabout, this being clearly evident from FIGS. 1 and 2, and that these gear teeth 7 can of course also be brought into mesh with cooperating gear teeth of another gear wheel besides the one mentioned before. Furthermore, these gear teeth 7 serve an auxiliary purpose, namely they provide the effect of knurling, that is they provide increased frictional assistance to the fingers of an operator, for instance a child who tightens the nut 6 by hand.

It will be understood that various different materials can be used for the devcie 1, as well as the nut 6, and that metal is suitable for this purpose. However, it has been found that plastic materials, such as nylon, are particularly Well suited for this purpose since they provide considerable economy of manufacture both in the actual manufacturing steps as well as in the cost of raw material.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of motion-transmitting devices differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a rotary motion-transmitting device, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

1. A rotary motion-transmitting device, comprising a rotary element having an axis of rotation and being provided with a peripheral face and with an axial end face extending transversely of said peripheral face and being formed with an annular recess surrounding said axis of rotation inwardly of said peripheral face; and an annulus of gear teeth provided on said axial end face located in said annular recess.

2., A motion-transmitting device as defined in claim 1, wherein said rotary element is of circular outline.

3. A motion-transmitting device as defined in claim 2, wherein said annulus of gear teeth is concentric with said axis of rotation.

4. A motion-transmitting device as defined in claim 3, wherein the individual teeth of said annulus extend radially of said axis of rotation.

5. A motion-transmitting device as defined in claim 3, wherein the individual teeth of said annulus extend radially of said axis of rotation and are elongated in such radial direction, and wherein the spacing between adjacent teeth is substantially constant over the entire length of said adjacent teeth.

6. A motion-transmitting device as defined in claim 3, wherein the individual teeth of said annulus extend radially of said axis of rotation, said teeth being elongated in such radial direction and tapering in radially inward direction so that the spacing between adjacent teeth is substantially constant over the entire length of said adjacent teeth.

7. A motion-transmitting device as defined in claim 3, wherein said annulus of teeth is recessed in said end face so that the tips of said teeth are flush with said end face.

8. A motion-transmitting device as defined in claim 7, said rotary element having an axial opening coincident with said axis of rotation and adapted to receive a rotary shaft; and clamping means provided on said rotary element for clampingly engaging said shaft so as to secure said element thereon non-rotatably relative to said shaft.

9. A motion-transmitting device as defined in claim 8, wherein said clamping means comprises a tubular axial projection of resilient material surrounding said opening and adapted to receive said shaft, said projection being axially slotted and compressing rneans cooperating with said projection for radially compressing the same into engagement with a shaft extending therethrough.

10. A motion-transmitting device as defined in claim 9, wherein said projection is provided on said end face and has a screw-threaded exterior surface tapering in the direction away from said end face; and wherein said compressing means comprises a nut having an internally screwthreaded opening tapering complementarily to said exterior surface of said projection so that, when said nut is rotated in a sense causing meshing of the screw threads, said projection is radially compressed into clamping engagement with a shaft extending therethrough.

11. A motion-transmitting device as defined in claim 10, wherein said nut has a circular peripheral surface provided with a plurality of angularly spaced teeth constituting a gear.

12. A motion-transmitting device as defined in claim 1; and further comprising a radial flange extending from said peripheral face.

13. A rotary motion-transmitting device, comprising a rotary element having an axis of rotation and being provided with a peripheral face and with an axial end face extending transversely of said peripheral face, said axial end face being formed with an annular recess; and an annulus of gear teeth provided on said axial end face located in said annular recess, said gear teeth having tips which are flush with said axial end face.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,213,400 9/ 1940 Laughridge 287-5209 2,726,106 12/1955 Houck 287-52.06 3,225,615 12/1965 Little 74-416 FRED C. MATT-ERN, JR., Primary Examiner.

LEONARD H. GERIN, Assistant Examiner. 

